


once upon a december

by WishingTree



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Anastasia Fusion, F/F, HEART DON'T FAIL ME NOW, anyways I LOVE IT, i am but a weak gay, just... please think about Karolina in Dimitri's outfit, my guys this is the product of so many things but the main one was sleep deprivation, please
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:31:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishingTree/pseuds/WishingTree
Summary: When they hear of a reward being offered for the safe return of the lost princess, Karolina and her friends jump at the opportunity to begin planning an elaborate con – all they need is a girl to play the part. In wanders Nico, an amnesiac orphan who bears a striking resemblance to the lost princess and also happens to share her name, and it seems like everything has fallen into place.Together, the con artist and the orphan travel to Paris, but it’s no fairytale. At least, not yet.(Because once upon a time, before all of this, there was a princess and a kitchen girl.)Anastasia AU





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Look guys me and my friends are Weak so the character roles were chosen purely for the Aesthetic™
> 
> Welcome everyone! I hope you enjoy this, I had such a blast writing it! This is going to be FUN
> 
> And I’m saying this right now, I took Rasputin out of the plot completely, so don’t be shocked when the story doesn’t include any epic final battle with ghost horse statues and demons! (I know, I know, dasvidanya, I’m a horrible person for taking that out, how could I do Anastasia without it - it’ll still be there, but I changed it a bit whoops)

It was a beautiful night in St. Petersburg, and the royal palace was alight with cheer, guests from all over come to enjoy the grand party. The sights were enchanting, everything glittering and golden, and all of it to celebrate Princess Nico Minoru’s eighth birthday, as well as the last week before Tina and Amy Minoru would voyage to Paris again, leaving Robert and Nico in St. Petersburg.

Inside it was a dizzying whirl of light and music and laughter, the ballroom looking like something out of a fairytale. The two young princesses, dressed in their finest robes, were the stars of the show, but not everybody was having a good time. Amy Minoru was sitting in one of the four elevated seats at the front of her room, and she huffed dramatically enough that her mother took notice from where she was sitting next to her.

“Something the matter?” Tina asked in amusement, leaning over to smooth down Amy’s hair, and Amy rolled her eyes.

“Parties like this are boring,” she sighed, slumping down in her chair, and Tina gave her a look, barely bothering to conceal the fondness for her daughter.

“Well, your sister seems to be having fun,” she gestured to where Nico was dancing around their father. She was following the steps well enough, keeping up with the rest of the room, but when she noticed Amy watching her she made a silly face, sticking out her tongue and waggling her fingers at her from behind their father’s back before dancing back around to stand in front of him. Robert Minoru chuckled gently as he picked her up, lifting her over his head and swinging her around, and Nico laughed freely.

“Hey Mom, why don’t you go dance with Dad?” Amy asked, brightening as a thought hit her, and Tina inclined her head, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of her head.

“Of course, darling,” she said indulgently as she pushed herself to her feet, straightening out her dress. Regal as ever, Tina descended the stairs and held her hand out for Robert, and he bowed dramatically as he took it and led the way to the middle of the dance floor, murmuring something to Nico as he went. Nico waved at them as they passed, still smiling widely, and Amy stood to get her attention.

“Come here,” Amy beckoned her over excitedly, the motion as furtive as possible given the fact that they were the third and fourth most highly ranked people in the room, and they were also on an elevated platform at the head of it. She waited until the attention was on their parents, and then Amy tugged her sister back towards the thrones. “I’ve got something for you.”

Nico perked up, bouncing on her toes as Amy rifled through the folds of her robe, and her eyes sparkled with excitement as she watched her. It took several seconds, and then Amy made a pleased noise.

“Ah hah!” she said proudly, brandishing a delicate rounded case. It was green with gold trim, sparkling prettily in the golden lights, and it fit perfectly in the palm of her hand.

“For me?” Nico looked on in awe, “Is it a jewelry box?” 

Amy smiled as Nico continued to marvel over it, and as the party carried on around them, another young girl poked her head around the corner. She was no older than the youngest princess herself, but it was very clear that she wasn’t from the same world of glitter and jewels. Scruffy and disheveled, with a shaggy blond head of hair cut short around her jaw and wearing ill-fitting clothes, there was no doubt about her status working in the palace. But her eyes were shining brightly, a liveliness in her that was hard to ignore. She crept forward eagerly, just wanting to catch a glimpse of the party and maybe even the princess, but her hopes were soon dashed. 

“Karolina!” one of the butlers growled, picking her up and hauling her towards the closest servants entrance, “Back to the kitchens with you.” 

Karolina struggled on instinct, but she knew it was in vain, and she was quickly deposited out of sight and shooed away. She hung her head, but she knew that was the way things were meant to be, and sighed quietly as she did what she was told.

Back in the ballroom, neither of the princesses had noticed the minor disturbance, and Amy leaned closer, ducking their heads together to create a makeshift barrier between them and the party, their own little world where they could keep something special between them.

“Watch this,” she said, pulling a gold necklace out of her pocket and fumbling with it for a moment before inserting the delicate charm hanging from it into a barely noticeable keyhole. She wound it up a couple of times before pulling back her hand, and Nico gasped when the top rose up, revealing two dancing figures as a familiar song spilled out of it.

“It plays our lullaby!” she whispered reverently, hands hovering over it, and Amy held the music box out, carefully depositing it into her open hands.

“ _On the wind, ‘cross the sea, hear this song and remember,_ ” Amy started to sing along softly to the tune, and Nico chimed in, swaying in time with the music.

“ _Soon you’ll be, home with me… Once upon a December._ ” 

The dancing figures slowly sank back into the music box as the lid closed over them, the song fading away, and Nico wriggled happily on the spot, turning her adoring gaze to her sister and clutching the music box to her chest.

Holding up the necklace, Amy handed it to Nico, gently curling her small hand around it. “Read what it says?”

Nico looked down and squinted comically, tilting her head to the side and saying, “Together… in Paris.” She gasped, eyes lighting up. “You mean it? One day I’ll get to go to Paris with you?” 

Amy smiled and nodded vigorously, “I got Mom and Dad to promise! It’s so pretty there, you’re going to love it. Until that happens, whenever I’m away you can play our lullaby, and it’s like we’ll be together. And look, it’s got your name on it!” Amy pointed out excitedly, and Nico turned the necklace over to see a delicate _Nico_  engraved on the other side. 

Nico gazed at it in wonder before beaming up at her big sister, and Amy poked her in the side. “I have one too,” she said, pulling aside her collar and lifting an identical necklace up to show her, flipping it to display the glittering _Amy_  engraved on it. “We’ll always be connected, see? And we’ll always have Paris.” 

Nico nodded enthusiastically again, and then she surged forward to throw her arms around Amy’s neck in a hug. She pressed her smile against Amy’s shoulder, squirming happily, and Amy hugged her back just as tightly.

“Girls,” they heard somebody calling them, and they both pulled away to see their parents waving them forward. Grinning mischievously, Amy ruffled Nico’s hair and then bounded down the steps to join them on the ballroom floor, leaving Nico to shout after her and try to catch up. Carefully stowing the music box in her robes, she ran and tackled her sister in a hug, and she beamed with pride when their parents both laughed.

 

 

 

In that moment, everything was perfect. 

But it would not last.

 

 

 

One dark winter night, the palace was no longer filled with light and laughter. Instead, smoke and screams filled the halls, and with flames slowly crawling through the building, the fear was spreading even quicker.

“Girls, run!” Tina shouted, trying to fight against the crowd thundering past her with little success. 

Nico was pressed against the wall in fear, too small to understand why the siege was happening, and all she could do was watch with terrified eyes as her parents were carried away in the desperate throng of people, disappearing from her view. Her breath started to come quicker, tears gathering in her eyes, but then Amy was at her side.

“Nico, look at me. We’ll meet them in Paris, okay?” Amy latched onto her arm, tugging urgently to get her attention. “That’s where we go, but we have to leave _now_.” 

Blinking rapidly, Nico nodded, trying to catch her breath, and she let Amy start to pull her down the hall, somehow knowing that this would be the last time she ever saw the palace that had been her home.

“Wait, my music box!” Nico gasped, and she immediately spun around and started to push her way back towards her room.

“Nico!” Amy cried out when she realized her sister was no longer behind her, “Nico, come back!” 

Nico was frantically tearing through the halls, skidding to a stop in front of a tall set of doors, and she threw them open. Sprinting to her dresser, she desperately rifled through it and came up with the small music box in relief. Amy came in after her, breathing heavily with panic bleeding over her face, and she slammed the doors shut when she heard shouts, knowing the invaders were getting closer.

“Nico!” she yelled again, running for her sister. “We have to go!”

On the other side of the room, a wall seemed to shift, and then Karolina peeked her head around from where she was tucked away in one of the secret servant’s tunnels. When she saw who was in the room, she immediately burst through the hidden door and revealed herself to the two princesses. Running forwards, she almost tripping over her feet and grabbed at the back of Amy’s coat.

“Come this way! Out the servants’ quarters!” she exclaimed.

Amy turned around in surprise but didn’t question it, only nodding determinedly and hooking her arm around Nico’s waist to push her ahead of herself. It worked, but then Nico wriggled her way around Amy and tried to go back, only Karolina’s body standing in her way.

“I dropped it,” she protested, reaching past her back into the room, and Karolina didn’t know what she was talking about, but she knew they only had seconds to escape and didn’t let her pass. Their eyes met, and though Karolina was too young to recognize it, something inside of her shifted in that moment. Time seemed to slow, an eternity passing before snapping back to the situation at hand, and only the thundering of footsteps in the hallway outside spurring her into action.

“Go,” Karolina urged, “Go!” 

The blonde girl all but shoved the princess through after her sister, forcefully shutting the hidden door and then whirling around to face the armed intruders who charged in from the hall. She pressed her back against the wall, heart beating frantically in her chest, but her expression was defiant as she tilted her chin up.

“Where are they, boy?” one of the men growled, the only one to pay her any attention as the others all searched the room, and Karolina clenched her jaw, picking up the nearest lamp to hurl at him. It shattered on impact, but the man only flinched once and snarled, raising the butt of his rifle and slamming it her temple.

She collapsed to the floor, and the man sneered as he turned away and left with the others when they found no sign of the princesses.

Unconscious, Karolina was left lying alone in the flickering firelight. The small object the princess had been reaching for was on the ground by her hand, and both were ignored as the intruders continued their siege of the palace.

Nobody came looking for her.

 

Outside, Nico and Amy were sprinting through the snow, pushing their way as best as they could towards the last train that would evacuate them to Paris. Nico was slipping and sliding, unsteady on her feet, but they were making good time regardless.

They ran up to the train platform to see the last train pulling out of the station, and they both sped up desperately, Amy pulling Nico along by the hand. As the taller of the two, Amy reached the train first and had to let go of Nico to haul herself up over the railing of the back cart, and she immediately turned around to reach for her sister.

“Amy!” 

“Nico! Grab my hand!” she cried out, leaning so far over the side of the train Nico thought she was going to fall off. 

“Don’t let go!” Nico pleaded, running as fast as she could. She gripped her fingers desperately, and Amy held tight.

But the crowd was getting thicker, and the train was starting to pick up speed, and Nico felt herself slipping, falling behind. She was still running, but she was acutely aware of the press of people around her, all taller and bigger than she was, and then her hand was slowly sliding out of Amy’s.

Amy was shouting her name, and the last thing Nico saw was her sister’s desperate face as she reached for her. But then she was falling, and everything went dark.

She hit the ground, sprawling out unconscious, and her necklace spilled out of the collar of her coat, glittering in the faint light of the train platform. The promise engraved on it, _Together in Paris_ , was facedown in the snow, and then the train, along with her sister, was gone.

 

 

That night, the Minorus were overthrown, and countless lives were destroyed. The palace was ransacked, the members of the royal family hunted, and what had always been was gone forever. 

And the youngest daughter, the princess, was never seen again.

 

Or so they thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karolina my child... so small and so brave.... and now they're both alone........ _cries_
> 
> (And fade to black........now that that's over, let the good times roll!)


	2. Chapter 2

_Ten Years Later —_

 

Sitting in the attic of the abandoned Minoru palace with her feet propped up on the windowsill, Karolina absently pulled her thin sweater closer around her against the persistent chill of the old building. From her spot tucked away in the little nook by the window, she was able to watch the world outside and let her mind wander. Snow blew through the air, creating a picturesque landscape, but she knew better than to be fooled by its appearance – St. Petersburg was anything but a paradise. She’d known that since she was a child, abandoned by her mother to work in the palace, and then cast out to the streets.

Karolina sighed, firmly putting the thought out of her mind. She had done her best not to dwell on her parents over the course of her life, and she knew exactly how it would end if she did. There was nothing for her there.

There came a scratching sound at the door, a muttered curse as whoever was on the other side was foiled by the doorknob sticking, and then it was flung open dramatically.

“Have you heard?” Gert burst into the room, startling Karolina with the noise, and she flailed comically, falling out of her chair and hitting the wooden floor with a thud.

Reorienting herself and pretending that hadn’t just happened, Karolina cleared her throat and brushed her clothes off as she stood. “Heard what?” 

Gert laughed giddily as she waved a paper through the air. “There’s a rumour in St. Petersburg.” 

“What kind of rumour?” Karolina furrowed her brow, but she didn’t have time to accept the paper before the door was slammed open again.

“The princess!” Molly exclaimed, bouncing in after Gert, and Karolina jumped again, tripping over her heel.

Huffing a piece of hair out of her face as she caught her balance, Karolina grinned sheepishly and ignored her friends laughing at her as she echoed, “The princess?” 

Still giggling, Molly made sure the door was properly secured behind them, and Gert nodded. “The Minorus died and the heir is in Paris, but the other daughter may be still alive.” She waved her hands around, almost smacking Karolina in the face. “The princess Nico Minoru!” 

“Nico?” Karolina murmured, faded flashes of a young girl passing through her mind. She remembered Nico, and something twinged deep in her chest as old memories resurfaced. “People think she’s alive?”

“Everybody’s talking about it,” Molly added, nodding vigorously.

Gert brandished the rumpled paper and shook it out, obviously having ripped it off a post board. “Her Royal Highness is offering a _ten_ _million_ ruble reward for her return,” she read off excitedly, and Karolina’s eyes widened. 

“Ten… million rubles?” she repeated disbelievingly, and Gert smiled.

“I know! Can you imagine what we could do with that money? This is our chance!” 

Karolina caught on quickly, exclaiming, “No more forging papers, no more stolen goods, we could get out of here!” 

Gert whooped, grinning at them both and then reaching out to tug Molly’s hat down past her eyes.

“Hey!” Molly protested, batting at her and trying to push it back onto her forehead. “Get off!”

Karolina watched them tussling affectionately, but as she stood there she couldn’t help but focus on their threadbare clothes, their tired faces, the rundown state of the room they were in. Orphaned at a young age, Karolina had met the two sisters after the siege, both with no family except each other. They had stuck together, and had since become the most successful team of conmen in the country. They did well enough, given their circumstances, but Karolina knew it wasn’t enough for them – it wasn’t what they deserved out of life.

With this money, the possibilities were endless. They could get a place to live, a real place with proper walls and insulation and maybe even some actual beds. Something they could make a home out of. 

A home.

For a split second, time seemed to slow down, and then it was as if the world had shifted, righting itself on its axis and making it possible for her to find the hope that had been quashed long ago, giving her a way out of this life that had been chosen for her.

Her mind started whirling as she began to come up with the unthinkable, a con that involved not only a fake princess, but a decade long explanation for her disappearance.

“The princess is our ticket out of here,” she stated, starting to pace around the tiny room. “We find a girl to play the part, teach her what to say. Dress her up and take her to Paris,” she mused out loud, eyes darting back and forth as her mind spun wildly. “We bring her to the princess, tell her we’ve found her sister.” 

“And she’ll believe us,” Gert prompted, lifting her eyebrows and gesturing at Karolina, and she nodded proudly.

“Because we’ll have this.” Karolina finished, spinning and stretching out to reach for the hidden panel behind a loose board in the wall, pushing aside the scraps of cloth they used to hide the more derelict parts of the room.

Inside was the small jewelry box she had taken from the palace the day of the siege, the one the princess had been trying to save when Karolina had pushed her and her sister through the concealed tunnel. At least, she assumed it was a jewelry box – she had never managed to get it open.

But she had always kept it close, foolishly guarding it as if it had been entrusted to her. Forget that it was more valuable than anything and everything else they had in their possession, it represented what she had always thought of as the perfect life, complete with the childish dream that she could one day return it to its rightful owner.

“It’s perfect!” Gert rambled in a hushed whisper, excitement clear on her face, “The country is obsessing over the lost princess. Is she alive, dead?”

“Who knows?” Molly bounced enthusiastically, beaming at up at Karolina, and she wrapped her up in a quick hug, slinging her other arm around Gert’s shoulders. 

“Either way, we’re going to be the ones to give them an answer,” Karolina smiled, and they both grinned back.

It was time for them to get to work.

 

 

 

Miles outside of the city, there was an orphanage, slightly rundown and altogether unwelcoming. A young woman tromped down the stairs attached to the front porch, black boots thumping heavily on the wooden steps, and she reluctantly continued to follow after the matron of the orphanage.

“I got you a job in the fish factory,” the matron was saying, words twisted with spiteful glee, “You go straight down this path until you get to the fork in the road. Go left– ” 

Nico was only half listening as she waved goodbye to the other children crammed together in the windows. By nature, Nico wouldn’t describe herself as particularly sociable, but the kids here were sweet and just wanted a family, a home.

At the very least, she could relate to that.

“Bye everybody!” she called out, craning her neck and waving her hand high above her head, smiling at them one last time. She saw the matron glaring at her and lowered her arm, suppressing her sigh as she turned around and rolled her eyes. “I’m listening, I’m listening.” 

The matron sneered, the expression doing nothing to soften her appearance. She grabbed Nico’s scarf and started pulling her down the walkway towards the front gate, and Nico only struggled for a moment before she unwrapped it from her neck and let her have it, rolling her eyes again.

“You’ve been a thorn in my side since the day you were brought here,” the matron scowled, “Acting like the Queen of Sheba, instead of the nameless no account you are! For the last ten years, I’ve fed you, I’ve clothed you – ” 

Nico rolled her eyes yet again and mouthed along with the familiar words, sarcastically finishing the sentence with her, “…Kept a roof over my head, I know, I know.” 

The matron stopped and glared at her again, narrowing her eyes. “How is it that you don’t have a clue to who you were before you came to us, but you can remember all that?”

Nico’s eyes flashed, because the matron was wrong; she did have a clue. One single, solitary clue. 

 _Together in Paris_. 

She reflexively brought her hand up to clutch her necklace tightly in her hand, taking comfort from the only familiar thing she could ever remember having. It was the only reason she knew her name, the engraving on this necklace she had been wearing when they had found her ten years ago. 

At least, Nico assumed it was her name. She supposed there was really no way to be sure.

The matron must have seen the motion, because she scoffed. “Together in Paris,” she simpered mockingly, “You want to find your family, hm? Well, little miss, if you ever had a family, they certainly never came for you, did they?” 

If Nico closed her eyes, sometimes she could catch a glimpse of a warm room, hear an echo of laughter and music. Something told her that it was more than just a dream, and she’d held onto that hope for as long as she could remember. She knew it was childish, but she also knew there was more to her life than this nothing – there had to be.

They reached the rusted gate at the edge of the property, and the matron pulled it open to let Nico pass, not even flinching at the grating sound of the hinges.

“It’s time to take your place in life.”

Without even the pretense of a goodbye, she threw the scarf at Nico and then spun around and stomped back towards the orphanage, the gate clanging shut behind her and leaving Nico alone on the other side.

Making another face at her back and casting one last look at the orphanage, Nico adjusted her hat to cover her ears and sighed, setting off down the snowy road. The wind blew past, cold and biting, but she soon removed her scarf again and stuffed it into her pocket, ignoring the trailing end.

She plodded along, occasionally kicking at the snow, and eventually she reached the fork in the road the matron had been talking about. There was a worn wooden post planted in the ground, and she stopped to stare up at the signs hammered to it. The one pointing left said _Fisherman’s Village_ , and Nico scowled. Turning her attention to the one pointing right, Nico tilted her head, her eyes tracing over the faded letters that spelled _St. Petersburg_. 

“Go left,” Nico muttered mockingly, screwing up her face. She knew what was to the left, a life of loneliness and fish, and she’d be Nico the orphan forever.

But right… maybe if she went right, maybe she could find… _something_. Something else.

She pivoted on her heel and took a step forward to stare at the right path, but then she faltered again, stopping to pull out her necklace and trace over the words.

Whoever had given her that necklace had to have loved her, right? Somebody, somewhere, at some time, had loved her, had cared for her. She wondered if that someone was missing her now.

She wondered if she could find them.

She huffed and dropped the necklace back under her collar, throwing up her hands and turning towards the leftward road.

It was absolutely ridiculous even considering it, _her_ somehow making it to Paris. Even more ridiculous was to expect to find a family waiting for her there.

But she really didn’t want to go left.

Nico realized she had been subconsciously pacing in a circle, varying back and forth in front of the signpost, and abruptly halted in her tracks, letting her head fall back.

“Send me a sign,” she called out, “A – a hint! Anything.” She sighed and sat down on a snowy log, dropping her chin into her palms. It was silent apart from the blowing snow, the whistle of wind through the trees, and she rolled her eyes at herself and prepared to stand again.

Before she could, a small dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere, giving a little yip and darting forward to steal her scarf, and Nico was startled out of her thoughts.

“Hey!” Nico exclaimed with a laugh, grabbing for it and missing when the dog playfully pranced out of her reach. “I don’t have time to play right now, I’m waiting for a sign.”

The dog tilted its head to the side, but just as Nico was about to grab for it, jumped out of the way again, leading her on a little chase around the clearing.

“Would you – give me that back! Hey, puppy, you gotta - ” 

She managed to snag the trailing end of the scarf, but the dog gleefully held on, happy to play tug of war with her. “Hey!”

The dog ran around her in a tight circle, not relinquishing the scarf and wrapping it around Nico’s knees. Spinning to try and keep herself from getting tangled, Nico lost her balance and tripped, going down in an undignified sprawl in the snow. She sputtered, wiping off her face and then pushing herself onto her knees, but when she looked up the dog was standing directly in the middle of the road leading to St. Petersburg, waiting patiently.

Seeing her face, the dog whined victoriously and wriggled, almost grinning at Nico with the scarf still clutched between its teeth as it bent low and kneaded the snow with its paws. It hopped back a few feet before repeating the motion, clearly wanting Nico to follow, and Nico could hardly believe this was happening.

“Oh, great. A dog wants me to go to St. Petersburg,” she huffed as she pushed herself to her feet, trying to knock the snow off of her clothes. “Alright, I can take a hint.”

But she paused hesitantly when she turned towards the open road that would lead her to the city. The snow seemed to dance in the wind, almost beckoning her forward, and after a beat she took one uncertain step, followed by another.

Was this where she finally uncovered who she was?

She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and then continued to walk, her feet sinking into the snow. Each step was a little easier, a little lighter, and she paused one last time to turn back, giving herself just one more moment to wonder if she was making the right choice.

All the things she was missing, home, love, a family… Maybe this road would lead her to them, lead her to the secrets of her forgotten past. Maybe this would be the key to bringing her home. She clutched her necklace again and forged onwards determinedly, gaining speed, and she smiled when she saw the puppy bounding through the snow at her side.

They walked together for a couple of hours until she made it over a cresting hill, and suddenly all of St. Petersburg was laid out in front of her. The buildings stretched on for miles, tendrils of smoke drifting upwards to join the grey smog hovering above the city, but to her eyes it almost seemed to glow with potential.

“Here we go, buddy,” she said, looking down at the dog at her side and taking a deep breath, “Journey starts now.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Journey does start now


	3. Chapter 3

“God, this is _terrible,_ ” Gert groaned, running a hand down her face as Molly mumbled an agreement. After a series of truly horrible auditions, they were beginning to lose hope of ever finding a girl to play Nico Minoru, and Karolina couldn’t really blame them.

“We’ll find her! She’s here somewhere, right under our noses,” Karolina declared yet again as she ignored the bustle of people around her, and she didn’t react when she accidentally knocked shoulders with somebody passing her on the street, only seeing a flash of dark hair and murmuring an apology before going back to their conversation. “Besides, one look at this jewelry box, and the princess will assume we’ve brought the real Nico Minoru. We’ll be off living our new lives with the ten million rubles before anybody figures it out!” 

“If you say so,” Gert shrugged, “This is going to fall apart if we don’t find the right girl, you know that.” 

“And we’ll find her,” Karolina said confidently, “She’s out there somewhere, I know it.” 

 

 

 

After wandering haplessly through the streets of St. Petersburg and even bumping into a tall blonde girl, Nico finally found the old palace, where someone had directed her to look for someone named Karolina for travel papers. It was just as rundown as was expected of an abandoned building, and for some reason that echoed a sense of wrongness with it. She didn’t think the palace was meant to look like this.

Moving across the grounds, Nico suppressed a shiver, wondering why she was seeing flashes of a night full of heavily blowing snow. She had a weird feeling about this place, something crawling across the back of her neck, but she quickly shook it off and forged onwards. Making her way around the building in search of a way in, she felt the dog begin to wriggle in her arms and let her down, watching her hop towards the building and start sniffing at the walls where patches had crumbled inwards and created an impressively ramshackle look for such an extravagant building.

She turned away for a second, and when she looked back the dog had disappeared through a gap in some boards hammered over one such opening.

“Hey, come back!” she whisper yelled as she darted forwards and tugged at the boards, trying to see how sturdy they were. “Hello?” Nico called out, adjusting her hat and poking her head through the hole to see nothing except a hall disappearing into darkness. Her voice echoed off the walls, giving her an indication of how big it was, and she didn’t see any sign of the dog anywhere. “Puppy?” 

Yanking once more at the boards, she accidentally pulled too hard and fell over, the wood coming with her as she landed on her back.

“Ow,” she groaned, huffing a breath to blow her hair out of her face, and she blinked through the haze of dust she’d knocked loose, pushing her hat back into place as she coughed.

There came a little yip, and she pushed herself up to see the dog sitting behind her with her tongue lolling out, surprising a laugh out of her. Nico stood and brushed herself off, ducking her head and stepping forward, and she suppressed a shiver as she crossed the threshold into the old palace.

“Come on, buddy,” she murmured unnecessarily, seeing the dog already wriggling its way past her, and she took one last look around before moving deeper inside.

The palace was certainly in ruins, wrecked from years of disuse and abandonment, but hints of its former glory stubbornly shone through here and there beyond the cobwebs. She came to the end of the hallway, exiting out at the foot of some stairs, and then she began to climb, reaching a wide carpeted landing.

“Hello?” she called again, pulling her scarf away from her neck and stuffing it into her pocket as she spun in a slow circle to take everything in, “Anybody home?” Her voice was loud, echoing off the ceiling, and her lips twisted sardonically as she glanced around at the decrepit state of the building, not showing any signs of recent care.

The dog followed after her, letting out little yips periodically as she shuffled around to explore. She sprang ahead of Nico and disappeared down the hallway, and Nico yanked off her hat and shoved that in her pocket as well as she hurried after her.

She followed the dog to what must have been a ballroom, once upon a time, with high sloping ceilings and tall windows. It was still breathtaking in a haunting sort of way, and Nico ambled around, coming to a long table lining a side of the room. It was still set, dishes and cutlery sitting out, and Nico wondered what must have happened here the day it was abandoned.

Leaning over, she blew the thick layer of dust off one of the plates, turning her head away to avoid breathing it in. When it had settled, she lifted the plate up in front of her face and tilted her head consideringly. Something stole her breath away at the sight that greeted her, and she blinked when she was suddenly hit with the impression of a dance, a person lifting a little girl high in the air, the sound of laughter and a foreign feeling of safety. She blinked again in confusion and shook her head, clearing the thought away like one of the many cobwebs in the corners of the grand ballroom and putting the plate down. Home? How strange.

“What is this place?” she whispered, half to herself and half to the dog who was sniffing around on the other side of the room. Her voice echoed hauntingly, reverberating throughout the space, and Nico couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something.

It wasn’t the most unfamiliar feeling to her, given the state of her memory missing as much as it was, but she had never felt it to this extent before.

It was like a memory from a dream.

Shaking her head, she let her coat slide off her shoulders and draped it over the old banister, tentatively stepping towards the middle of the room. The harder she thought about it, the more familiar it felt, and she tried to close her eyes and give in to the thoughts nudging at the edges of her mind.

Something washed over her, and when she opened her eyes everything was different. She looked around in wonder as the room sprang to life in her mind, the dust flying away to reveal a splendid ballroom, one alive with music and cheer. She laughed as the feelings swelled up in her and her clothes changed into a glittering dress to rival any other in the room.

A nondescript person stepped up to her, smoothly taking her into their arms and sweeping her into a dance, and Nico willingly let herself be whirled around the room, falling into the rhythm until something drew her attention.

Three people walked up to her, the crowd clearing for them, and Nico saw two adults and a child. Standing there, hands folded demurely as they all smiled at her, Nico took a step back in surprise, wondering why they felt almost… familiar.

The man stepped forward and held out his arms for her, bowing his head, while the woman stayed back but smiled proudly, eyes crinkling with warmth as she put her hand on the young girl standing next to her, also beaming.

Not knowing why, Nico reached out and put her hand in his, resting her other on his shoulder as they began to waltz until the music faded. She trusted these people, _knew_ them even, and this felt right for some reason she couldn’t quantify.

She concluded the dance and stepped back, ending in a curtsy and bowing her head in a dreamy motion, and the man bowed back. Staring at him, Nico couldn’t understand who he was, who any of them were, why she was here with them at a party that was certainly grander than any event she had ever been to.

“Hey!” a voice broke through her daydream, yelling, “What are you doing here?” 

The scene disappeared as she lifted her head with a gasp, fading away abruptly, and she recoiled when she saw someone across the room, instinct urging her to back away. There were three girls standing on the landing of the opposite staircase, and at the sight she turned to run.

“Hey!” she heard one calling after her, and then footsteps pounding on the stairs as they began chasing after her. The dog began barking, running along at her side, and Nico could feel someone catching up to her. 

“Stop, stop. Wait a minute, hold on!” 

She hesitated on the landing, not sure which direction she had come from, and with that split second wasted she knew she wouldn’t be fast enough to get away. Nico exhaled and let herself slow to a stop at the landing where she had left her coat, casting a despairing glance up at the massive painting watching over the room and readying herself to turn around.

 

 

 

“Hey!” Karolina yelled out, “What are you doing here?” 

There was a girl in the middle of the largest ballroom, but as soon as she heard her voice she jerked away and then bolted across the room. “Hey!” Karolina immediately gave chase, calling out, “Stop, stop. Wait a minute, hold on!” 

The girl slowed and eventually stopped, visibly torn as she stood on the landing, and Karolina came to the foot of the stairs.

“How did you get in… here…” Karolina trailed off as the girl turned to face her. Behind her was one of the massive portraits of the Minoru family, and Karolina blinked. The light coming through the windows slanted as it hit the painting, illuminating the youngest girl in the centre, and Karolina felt her jaw go slack at the sight, the resemblance stunning her into silence.

The longer she looked, the more this girl began to resemble the painting. It was almost… uncanny. 

The girl seemed annoyed as Karolina continued to stare at her, her eyes narrowing and crossing her arms, but Karolina couldn’t stop. Reaching out behind her, she blindly flailed to smack at Gert’s arm as she kept her eyes shifting between the girl and the painting.

“Do you see what I see?” she whispered excitedly out of the corner of her mouth. She couldn’t just be imagining this, could she? 

Gert blinked, “No.” 

Karolina rolled her eyes and reached out to drop Gert’s glasses back on her face, and then watched a smile split across her face.

“Old Lace!” Gert cried out, seeing the dog hiding behind the girl’s legs. She crouched down and opened her arms to beckon her forward, and Karolina’s gaze was diverted to the little dog hovering around the girl’s feet, her eyes widening in surprise when she recognized the little puppy Gert had found years ago. She came and went as she pleased, sometimes for weeks at a time before returning, but this was definitely the first time Karolina had seen her with a person other than Gert or Molly.

“Old Lace?” 

The dog tossed its head, flicking an ear, and then started barking enthusiastically, racing into her arms. Molly squealed in excitement as well, leaning down to hug her, and Karolina watched the confusion play across this mystery girl’s face.

After Old Lace had contented herself with barking at Gert and Molly and licking at their faces, Gert cooed and scooped her up, completely ignoring the stranger on the landing and Karolina’s pointed looks. Rolling her eyes with more affection than annoyance, Karolina crouched down to greet the dog as well.

“Are you Karolina?” the girl interrupted with a huff, eyes narrowed at them as she put her hands on her hips.

“Maybe,” Karolina scratched Old Lace behind the ear and stood again, ambling towards her. “That all depends who’s looking for her.” 

Karolina marvelled at her own ability to keep her cool, especially now that she had gotten a good look at the girl. Resemblance to royalty aside, she was beautiful, all bright eyes and dark hair, and Karolina… was absolutely _not_ enchanted.

“My name is Nico, and I need travel papers.” 

Karolina continued to move forwards as she spoke, unable to stop her eyes from widening at her name. What were the odds?

“Travel papers?” she asked.

Nico narrowed her eyes further, expression defensive. “They say you’re the woman to see.” 

“Hm,” Karolina crossed one arm across her chest and propped her other one up on it, only half listening as she continued to compare this girl to the painted portrait above her.

“What – why are you circling me, were you a vulture in another life?” Nico asked sardonically, whipping around to keep her in front of her.

“I’m sorry, Nico, it’s just… you look an awful lot like…” Karolina beckoned Gert and Molly closer and began to gesture at the painting behind her, but aborted the motion when she saw Nico watching, pulling her hand back and scratching her head to cover the gesture. “Never mind. Um, now…” She grabbed Gert and pulled her forwards, turning back to address Nico and change the subject, “You said something about travel papers?” 

“Yes,” Nico stated resolutely, “I’d like to go to Paris.”

“You’d like to go to _Paris_?” Karolina repeated. Her voice was probably a shade too gleeful, but she couldn’t believe their luck right now. She wouldn’t be surprised if this girl turned out to be a grifter who had somehow figured out their con and was trying to get in on it with how many elements were lining up, but the longer she looked at Nico, the less sure of that she became. The other girl was surly, but there was an honesty shining on her face, honesty tinged with a desperation Karolina knew well.

“Let me ask you something, Nico,” Karolina propped a hand on her chin and then paused. “Is… Is there a last name that goes with that?”

“Well, actually, this is going to sound crazy,” Nico muttered, averting her eyes and rubbing her forehead, “…I don’t know my last name. I was found wandering around when I was eight years old, not knowing anything.”

Karolina pressed her lips together in an attempt to control her expression, telling herself it would be bad form to fist pump and furrowing her brow as she tried to look serious. “And, uh, before that? Before you were eight?”

“Look, I – I know it’s strange, but I – I don’t remember. I have very few memories of my past.” She pulled a gold necklace out of her shirt and started fiddling with it as she spoke, seemingly unaware of the motion, and Karolina honestly felt like jumping up and down.

“Hm, ah, well, that’s… perfect,” Karolina said to herself, clasping her hands together.

Nico glared at her, but Karolina wasn’t sure what she’d done to aggravate her this time. 

“I do have one clue, and that, is Paris.” Nico’s expression was set determinedly, and Karolina smiled.

“Paris?”

Nico nodded firmly. “Right, so – can you three help me or not?” 

“Gert, Molly, tickets,” Karolina half-turned and whispered, sticking her hand out behind her back while giving Nico an easy smile and addressing her again. “Uh, I sure would like to – in fact, oddly enough, we’re going to Paris ourselves.”

Behind her, Gert and Molly were flailing around, and finally one of them pulled out their tickets to the Russian Circus and slapped them into Karolina’s waiting hand. Old Lace came to sniff at her shoe, Gert obviously having let her down, and Karolina was careful not to kick her.

“And, uh, I’ve got, see, I’ve got four tickets here,” Karolina waved around the slips of paper, too quickly to let Nico get a good look at them before tucking them into her vest. “Unfortunately, the fourth one is for… her,” Karolina pointed at the Minoru family painting on the wall, “Nico Minoru.” 

“Oh,” Nico murmured, staring up at it, and Karolina stepped forward to stand at her side.

“We are going to reunite the Grand Duchess Nico Minoru with her sister.” 

Nico raised a disbelieving eyebrow, shooting them a look that clearly spoke of her doubt.

“You do kind of resemble her,” Molly said, nodding upwards at the painting as she hovered just behind them.

“The same eyes,” Gert agreed, crossing her arms and tilting her head thoughtfully.

“The Minoru eyes!” Karolina exclaimed, glancing over at her friends eagerly.

Molly pursed her lips, commenting, “Robert’s smile.”

“Tina’s chin,” Karolina added, pointing up.

Gert hummed, adjusting her glasses, “She’s the same age, the same physical type…” 

Sputtering, Nico held up her hands to stop them and shook her head. “Are you trying to tell me that you think that _I_  am _that_ Nico? The lost princess?”

“You – you have the same name,” Gert pointed out reasonably, voice dry but serious.

Nico blinked at that, shutting her mouth, and Karolina stepped forward again, spreading her hands out in front of her.

“Look, all I’m trying to tell you is that we have seen thousands of girls all over the country, and not _one_ of them looks as much like the Grand Duchess as you,” Karolina asserted, directing her attention at the painting again. “I mean, check out the portrait!”

Nico shook her head and poked a finger at Karolina’s chest as she turned away. “I knew _you_ were crazy from the beginning, but now I think you are all mad,” she waved a careless hand at Gert and Molly, reaching for her coat and preparing to leave.

“Why?” Karolina ducked around to get in front of her, “You don’t remember what happened to you – ”

“No one knows what happened to her,” Gert cut in.

“You’re looking for family in Paris – ”

“And her only family is in Paris!” 

Nico didn’t answer, and Karolina went to nudge her. “…You ever thought about the possibility?” She put her arm around Nico’s shoulders and turned her to face the portrait again. Nico pulled back to give her another incredulous look, but then she gave in and slowly looked up.

“What, that…  _I_  could be royalty?” 

As one, Karolina, Gert, and Molly all nodded, and Nico tilted her head to the side, absently waving down a hand at Old Lace who was jumping to paw at her knees.

“Well, I don’t know, it’s kind of hard to think of yourself as a Duchess when you’re sleeping on a damp floor,” she shrugged, “But, _sure_. Yeah, I guess every lonely girl would hope she’s a princess.” Nico whipped her head around and glared at Karolina as soon as the words left her mouth, almost as if daring her to say something.

Luckily, Gert chose that moment to lean forward, voice gentle as she stated, “And somewhere… one little girl is.” 

Karolina could see the indecision clearly on Nico’s face, rationality warring with the yearning, and underneath it all, a desire so strong Karolina could almost feel it echoed in herself. It was enough to give her pause, astonished at the depth of it, but she took a deep breath and steeled herself.

“Well, really wish we could help, but the fourth ticket is for the Grand Duchess Nico Minoru,” she said as she put her arms around Molly and Gert and turned them away, starting down the stairs and waving a hand over her shoulder at Nico, “Good luck getting to Paris!” 

She heard Nico sigh in frustration, but didn’t miss a step as she ushered them away.

“Why didn’t you tell her about our brilliant plan?” Molly asked in a hushed whisper, moving with her but giving her a questioning look.

“All she wants to do is go to Paris, why give up part of the reward money?” Karolina reasoned quietly, tugging gently on one of Molly’s dangling hat strings. She was also fairly good at reading people, and she could tell that Nico wasn’t the type to be so casual about the scheme they were hatching. Karolina remembered a time where she hadn’t been either, but living on the streets for a couple of years had done well to change that.

“Aren’t we walking away too soon?” Molly pressed again, fidgeting with her fingers, and Karolina checked her watch.

“Not to worry, I’ve got it all under control,” she reassured her confidently, taking both arms back and straightening her vest. “Just – walk a little slower…” 

Behind their backs, Nico was still staring up at the painting, and Karolina smirked, holding up three fingers and beginning to count down. “Three, two, one…” 

“Karolina!” Nico’s voice called out, and Karolina beamed and waved her hand with a flourish, closing her eyes and finally doing a celebratory fist pump. “Karolina, wait!”

“Did – did you call me?” Karolina collected herself and stopped walking, spinning around and feigning ignorance. Nico had hurried after them and was now in the middle of the first landing, leaving them at the bottom of the staircase looking up.

“If _I_ don’t remember who I am, then who’s to say I’m not a princess, or a duchess, or… whatever she is, right?” Nico twisted her hands together but then clasped them in front of her.

Karolina nodded faux-seriously, tapping her fingers to her chin. “Mm–hmm, go on.” 

“Yeah,” Nico said earnestly, “And if I’m _not_  Nico Minoru, then the princess will definitely know right away, and it’s all just an honest mistake!” 

“Sounds plausible!” Karolina said brightly, beaming up at her.

Gert hummed and stepped forward. “But, if you _are_ the princess… Then you’ll finally know who you are and have your family back!”

Snapping her fingers, Karolina grinned, “You know, she’s right! Either way, it gets you to Paris!”

Nico nodded hesitantly, but Karolina could see her resolve solidifying. She had instinctively been climbing the stairs to reach her, and was surprised when Nico met her halfway.

“Right then,” she nodded, thinking for a moment and then sticking her hand out to shake Karolina’s. Karolina instinctively accepted the movement, slipping her hand into hers, but as soon as their skin made contact her breath caught. It only lasted for a moment before it started stuttering again, and Karolina’s hand hesitated in its motion before Nico let her go.

“May I present, her Royal Highness, the Grand Duchess Nico Minoru!” Karolina said grandly in hopes of covering it up, spreading her arms in an exaggerated gesture as she spun and addressed the empty ballroom, voice echoing off the walls. Nico raised an eyebrow at her and didn’t move, refusing to play along, and Karolina shrugged in a completely unbothered motion, pulling her arms back and willing her blush away as she tucked her hands in her pockets.

“Old Lace, we are going to Paris!” Molly exclaimed, scooping up the dog and hugging her close as she spun in a circle. Her excitement was infectious, and Karolina laughed, looking over at Gert and then glancing at Nico. The other girl was trying to suppress her smile, but Karolina could see the way her eyes sparkled. It caused a new feeling to bloom in her chest, something Karolina hadn’t felt before, and as her heart sped up she resolved to figure it out later.

They were all in this together now, and Karolina grinned widely. They’d found the perfect girl, and now they were set. The con was in motion.

 

And even though she didn’t know it, something else was too.


End file.
